Beautiful Kenya

There is a lot here in Kenya that I love, and yet there is a lot that really makes me madder than a cat on a hot tin roof!

As I walk or ride on a motorbike I can look across the horizon and see the green hills dotted with fields of red dirt. Then above that there is the blue sky that isn't marred by smog, and the clouds are big, billowly, puffy, and pristine white. The contrast and blending of the three are simply beautiful. I've never seen anything like it in my life. Then the people of Kenya are so very welcoming and kind to me. Yes I get some odd looks, but it's nothing of what I would get if I was walking in downtown Oakland California. During my time here I've had 3 proposals of marriage. Not that I want any especially from men with little or no teeth, but it's what I've received. (can you imagine the dental bill??? YIKES)I'm sure it's due because being a white I'm perceived to have money and lots of it. Only if it were true. LOL Here in Kenya the women of the church meet regularly for fellowship. I really like that about Kenya. Getting together with friends, and friends helping friends when they need it. It's really very refreshing to see and witness.

What I dislike so much in Kenya is the way everything is run.  If the police pull you over, you need to pay a bribe to get out of whatever wrong you committed. If you want a formal piece of paperwork, like a birth certificate, it's just about impossible to get it. Then the corruption in other areas of government is insane. The way to get a job here is to be in the same tribe as whatever tribe is in the ruling power. And that, my dear friends, is so bloody wrong it makes me want to puke.  How people treat their workers is downright mean and in some cases it's slavery. That too makes me so mad I could spit buggers all day long!! Here in Kenya it's as if it's OKAY to treat other people as sub-human and to feel self-righteous over them.  How wrong is that for cryin' out loud. How hard can it be to treat someone with respect and kindness? When they do something wrong, don't shout at them. Correct them with grace and love, show them how to properly do the task at hand and go on with life. How bloody hard can that be?  I could go on, but I won't because it's simply to beautiful of a day to sit here and blog. The sun is out, the grass is green, and the sky is blue with a few white puffy clouds in view.  So I am off.

There is a lot of beauty here in Kenya, but unfortunately there is also the other side that is pretty ugly.